Manchester City vs. Manchester United

If we play 3 in midfield, the best 3 players available would be Scholes, Carrick and Giggs. If they put their minds to playing possession football I'm sure they could do wonderfully. However, considering the high mobility of City that midfield could still leave us exposed on defense.

I think one of the best things about a 3 man midfield is having that player shielding the defense who can run down anyone who gets through the rest of the midfield. Someone like Makalele or Hargreaves, or Fletcher, who can catch pretty much anyone and get between them and the goal, giving everyone else time to recover.

We don't even have Anderson to play there, and it would certainly be extremely ballsy of SAF to put in Cleverley at this point away to City, having barely played for half a year. I wouldn't put it past him, but he's actually gone with Jones the last few times he wanted the extra midfielder, so I guess that's the most likely, Jones with Scholes and Carrick.

Except Jones has never actually been the holding midfielder in a 3, IIRC, he's always up field.
 
..........................De Gea........................

.......Jones......Evans.......Rio..........Evra.....

....Valencia...Scholes.....Carrick.......Nani.....

..........................Rooney........................

..........................Welbeck.......................

Subs:Amos, Jones, Giggs, Smalling,Hernandez,Young,Cleverly

Was tempted to say start with Young because his tracking back is better, but Nani can open em up.
Think this line up gives us a lot of flexibility can start 4-5-1 and change to almost any other formation as the game dictates
 
We don't really have an extra body to put into a 5 man midfield, if that body's not Rooney. Then again, you don't drop your best striker from his preferred position to midfield. Welbeck or Hernandez will be alone up front if we play Rooney in the midfield, me thinks.

4-2-3-1 style formation.

------------ De Gea -----------
Jones --- Evans ---Rio --- Evra
---- Carrick ---- Scholes ------
Valencia --- Rooney ----- Nani
---------- Welbeck -----------
 
Aaaarrgg! The long wait is killing me! I also have to work on Monday so I definitely will miss the game.
 
I'm going to go 2-1 / 1-0 to Utd.

We will more than likely sit back defend and counter with Nani/Valencia on the wings. We will be defensively minded considering we conceded 4 goals yesterday and 6 in the previous fixture.
 
Nani has warned Manchester City they will face an "angry" Manchester United side in next week's title showdown at the Etihad Stadium.

The two rivals meet next Monday night in a hotly-anticipated derby as the race for the title draws to an exciting climax.

United dropped two important points against Everton on Sunday to allow City to close the gap at the top to three points following their 2-0 win over Wolves.

City now have their fate back in their own hands and they will go to the summit with victory over United due to their superior goal difference.

However, Portuguese ace Nani has warned Roberto Mancini's men to expect a backlash from the 4-4 draw with Everton.

"There is anger from the players because we wanted to win (against Everton)," Nani told MUTV.

"We're disappointed to lose four goals. But that's football. It can happen sometimes.

"We have to keep believing in our qualities because we still have a great oppportunity to win the title. It's a huge game.

"It will be a difficult game, but if you want to win the league you cannot think about the atmosphere or the opponents. Of course (we can win)." :devil:
 
Raoul said:
Things might get a bit simpler come Monday.

Ban threat looms over Yaya Toure as FA probe two-finger gesture

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...re-as-fa-probe-twofinger-gesture-3089040.html
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Great, he has to be banned. They did it to Suarez, got to do it to Toure. In fact, double the fingers, double the ban.

Little surprised they've picked Marriner though as opposed to Webb or the infallible Atkinson. Don't really recall him reffing many big games.

EDIT: Assuming he has actually aimed this gesture at fans. If not you can't charge him with anything.
 
When deployed there, Carrick can perform the holding / destroyer role very well. he's quick, strong and very composed. Also, with Scholes sitting deeper alongside him, he always has an outlet.

Those two sitting deeper would enable us to play with Rooney in an attacking mid role and Welbz up front or perhaps Cleverley behind Rooney.

The issue with Scholes and Carrick in the middle and Rooney and ANOther up front seems to be when both midfielders attack. When they have support and are tasked with keeping things tight and disciplined, they do it very well. If we were to line up ni this way, we could have to start with Nani and Valencia in my opinion, as they tend to make themselves available for Scholes and Rooney's searching passes better than Young.

As defence, business as usual I think. Although I think I'd be inclined to remove Rafael after 65/70minutes if we're winning...!
 
Sw33t said:
7 days...
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some of us aren't going to make it

head_explosion.gif
 
Liam147 said:
Great, he has to be banned. They did it to Suarez, got to do it to Toure. In fact, double the fingers, double the ban.

Little surprised they've picked Marriner though as opposed to Webb or the infallible Atkinson. Don't really recall him reffing many big games.

EDIT: Assuming he has actually aimed this gesture at fans. If not you can't charge him with anything.
Click to expand...

He won't be charged
 
This is taking too long. Can we just get to the day already?
 
What a stupid idea it was to play this on Monday. Brilliant from their point of view (probably sky), shite for everyone else.

I actually can't wait. I've got so much to do and I can't concentrate on anything other than this game.
 
Number7 said:
What a stupid idea it was to play this on Monday. Brilliant from their point of view (probably sky), shite for everyone else.

I actually can't wait. I've got so much to do and I can't concentrate on anything other than this game.
Click to expand...

GMP requested a Monday kick-off because it's the Manchester Marathon on Sunday.
 
Number7 said:
What was wrong with Saturday?
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Didn't they decide when the game would kick-off when both City and United were still in Europa League?

You know, semi-final second leg is on Thursday, so there was no chance it would be on Saturday.
 
I hate being nervous for a full 90 minutes, this will be a very horrible fixture for my health. I hope we win so I can watch it again without nerves. to think the he last time we faced this lot in the FA cup the ginger prawn returned :drool::drool:
 
Taking into account what I think we'd play I would like to see;

Code: 
------------DdG
Smalling - Evans - Rio - Evra
------Carrick---Scholes----
Young-----Rooney-----Nani
----------Welbeck---------
Mainly because I think Clichy is in the form of his life at the moment and a traditional winger will struggle against him because his defensive abilities of speed and tracking negate that outside traditional winger type. I think personally that Valencia isn't in the good form that he's been showing and when he comes inside I don't think he is as potent as someone say Nani or Young. I would have Young on the right playing a more quick passing inside forward style* to drag Clichy inside and put more pressure Barry and force him to play deeper and less of a comfort % from midfield.

Smalling i'd have in for Rafael. Not a 'dropping' of such but I think his height would be handy and at set pieces also.

(*note I would not care if he dived for the winner, personally I don't want to see it but if it happens then I would not care to be fair. If it was a tap in from the ref in the 152nd minute of stoppage time I would celebrate just as hard as a Rooney hat-trick.)

What I would also like to see is more of a 4-3-3 if we were to play more cautious.

Code: 
----------Carrick
-----Cleverley--Scholes
-Nani---------------Young
-----------Rooney
More of a fluid 4-4-3 with Scholes playmaking, Carrick sitting deep. Cleverley linking up play and playing box to box with Young and Nani playing interplay across the front three with Rooney up on the line poaching.

Whatever happens it is going to be an absolute epic. It is dissapointing in all honesty the way City has come about to be in this position but it makes beating them in this game and possibly the title just the more sweet.

fecking get in lads - bring it home for the millions of fans world wide.
 
At least shipping 4 in the last game means we'll most likely tighten up at the back.
 
So now someone is suggesting putting Young in for Valencia, because he didn't assist/score in the last game.

In order to get goals in this game, & we're going to need them, we need Valencia/Rooney/Nani. Whether its Rooney up top on his own, with 3 in the middle, or Welbeck with Rooney behind, that should be the debate.
 
Am I way off for thinking that Giggs as an AM could work here in front of Scholes and Carrick with Rooney as a lone striker? Nani drifts in, Giggs drifts out wide - it has worked quite well before. I know Giggs was horrible last match, but he's had time to heal those old tired legs of his now, and we all know he can still turn any game around.

DDG

Rafael - Evans - Rio - Evra

Valencia - Carrick - Scholes - Nani
Giggs

Rooney
 
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